Slow Cooker Lemongrass Shredded Pork Bowls

These Slow Cooker Shredded Lemongrass Pork Bowls are a weeknight winner—tender, flavor-packed pork with crisp edges, bright pickled vegetables, and a creamy spicy mayo. They make a fun build-your-own-bowl dinner that’s easy to assemble and always crowd-pleasing.

The pork braises slowly with lemongrass, garlic, and ginger until it’s shreddable, and finishing it under the broiler crisps up the edges for contrast. While the meat cooks you can make the pickled veggies, sauce, and spicy mayo so everything is ready to build bowls when the pork comes out.

Recipe at a glance

Total time: about 8 hours (slow cooker) • Instant Pot option: about 1 hour 25 minutes • Serves: 4–6

Ingredients

For the pork

• 3.5 lbs boneless pork shoulder, cut into 4 pieces
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons avocado oil (Instant Pot method only)
• 4 garlic cloves, smashed
• 2 stems lemongrass, outer leaves removed, smashed and minced
• 1-inch piece fresh ginger, grated
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• ¼ cup coconut aminos
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar

For the pickled veggies

• 1 cup matchstick carrots
• ½ red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 Fresno chile, thinly sliced (or other chile)
• ½ cup rice vinegar
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

For the sauce

• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 6 tablespoons coconut aminos
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 3 tablespoons coconut sugar (optional; omit for Whole30)

For the spicy mayo

• ½ cup avocado oil mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons sriracha (use a compliant brand for Whole30)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

For serving

• 2 cups cooked cauliflower rice or jasmine rice
• 4 cups finely shredded cabbage
• ½ cup chopped fresh mint
• ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Step-by-step: Slow cooker method

1. Prepare the pork

Pat the pork very dry with paper towels. Season all sides with the kosher salt, garlic powder, and black pepper. In the slow cooker bowl, combine the smashed garlic, minced lemongrass, grated ginger, chicken stock, fish sauce, coconut aminos, lime juice, and rice vinegar. Whisk to combine and nestle the seasoned pork pieces into the liquid. Cover and cook on high for 4–6 hours or low for 8–10 hours, until the pork is tender and easily shredded.

2. Make the pickled veggies

While the pork cooks, combine the matchstick carrots, thinly sliced red onion, sliced Fresno chile, rice vinegar, and salt in a bowl. Toss to coat and set aside at room temperature or refrigerate until serving. These quick pickles brighten the bowls and can be made several hours ahead.

3. Make the sauce

Whisk together the fish sauce, coconut aminos, rice vinegar, lime juice, and coconut sugar (if using) in a small bowl. This sauce will be tossed with the shredded pork before crisping and adds balanced savory-sweet-acid flavor.

4. Make the spicy mayo

In a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise, sriracha, minced garlic, lime juice, and salt until smooth. Taste and adjust heat or acidity to preference. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

5. Shred and crisp the pork

When the pork is done, transfer it to a large rimmed baking sheet and allow it to cool slightly. Shred the pork with two forks. Pour ½ cup of the reserved cooking liquid over the shredded pork along with the prepared sauce, and toss with tongs to coat evenly.

Spread the pork in an even layer and place the baking sheet under a hot broiler on the top rack. Broil 6–9 minutes, watching closely, until the edges are browned and crisped to your liking.

6. Assemble the bowls

Build bowls with a base of cauliflower rice or jasmine rice, a generous scoop of shredded pork, pickled veggies, shredded cabbage, fresh mint and cilantro, and a drizzle of spicy mayo. Serve immediately so the pork stays crisp and the pickles stay bright.

Instant Pot method (faster)

Pat and season the pork as above. Set the Instant Pot to Sauté and heat the avocado oil. Add garlic, lemongrass, and ginger and sauté 1–2 minutes until fragrant; hit Cancel. Nestle the pork in the pot, pour in the chicken stock, fish sauce, coconut aminos, lime juice, and rice vinegar. Lock the lid and set to Manual/Pressure Cook for 1 hour. Allow a 10-minute natural release, then transfer the pork to a sheet pan, cool slightly, shred, toss with ½ cup cooking liquid and the sauce, and broil to crisp as described above.

Recipe FAQ

Notes and tips

More pork recipes

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BBQ Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Avocado Crema

Instant Pot Whole30 BBQ Pulled Pork

Author and credits

Author: Alex Snodgrass

Photography credit: Eat Love Eats.